Here's every U.S. city with 5G coverage right now

All of the major U.S. carriers are hard at work on their 5G strategy. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have launched 5G networks and are aggressively expanding those networks through 2019. 5G service not only provides faster speeds but also reduced response times allowing for new services and cloud computing not previously available. For now, the major difference between LTE and 5G will be speed but as coverage continues to roll out to new areas, more services that rely on instant connectivity should become possible.

Verizon

Verizon is starting small with two cities deploying what it calls 5G Ultra Wideband (UWB). In short, this version of 5G uses large chunks of high frequency bandwidth that produce very high speeds but suffer in other areas such as coverage over distance and building penetration. While coverage is dense enough in cities to be included on the list, Verizon is being conservative and offering much more specific descriptions of tower locations.

At this time, it is easy to be discouraged about such minimal 5G coverage but this deployment is only a start for Verizon — it has 14 cities still listed as "coming soon." Early tests have been positive with us seeing speeds up to 1.4 Gbps. Although these massive speeds are impressive, they probably won't hold up under a full Chicago load, but it's still exciting to see.

Verizon 5G

Sprint

Sprint is bringing its 2.5Ghz 5G to its Overland Park, KS location as well as the nearby Kansas City. They also provide 5G in three other cities with more to follow later this year. You can get access to this new network with the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, LG V50 ThinQ 5G, Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, or a hotspot from HTC running Android.

While Sprint customers wait to see how a potential merger with T-Mobile might pan out, Sprint has moved ahead with its service and even shows its 5G coverage alongside 4G on its coverage maps to demonstrate its confidence. Sprint has also announced that is continuing to improve it's 5G footprint with expanded coverage in Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is the last of the Big Four to offer a 5G option. With a network much more similar to Verizon's in tech, T-Mobile's 5G deployment will be built on millimete wave technology at 28Ghz. The long and short of that is a strength in speed and a weakness in coverage. I am eagerly waiting to see what a combined Sprint and T-Mobile 5G network looks like once New T-Mobile is fully up and running.

AT&T

AT&T certainly has one of the most impressive lists of cities with available 5G coverage. AT&T has launched its 5G network for business use with a hotspot from Netgear and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. AT&T is using millimeter wave for its current buildout but has announced that they intend to start building out on sub-6 spectrum in 2019 which should help with coverage immensely.

That's not necessarily a bad plan while the network works its way up to strength and phones become more readily available, and AT&T certainly seems poised to offer a strong network. If you are a consumer waiting to see that "5G" pop up on your phone, then you will need to wait a bit longer or see if another carrier provides service today.

5G is one of the more exciting things to happen to wireless networking in years and has the same exciting feeling that the move to 3G had. If you are a wireless enthusiast and want an easy way to see how 5G is shaping up worldwide, Ookla, the company famous for its internet speed test, has a map showing new locations as providers send them in.

The 5G Galaxy

One of the most complete feeling flagship phones only gets better with 5G support and a massive battery. With a great display and cameras, this phone is the perfect tool for anyone that gets things done on the go.

5G from LG

The LG V50 is a fine phone, and if you're already on Sprint and live in an initial 5G area it may be an appealing option. But it's very expensive compared to the comparable LTE-only LG G8, and chances are you don't live in Sprint's 5G coverage area anyway.

Update, August 2019: This article has been updated to reflect changes to AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon's 5G coverage. Phoenix added to Verizon August 23, 2019. Four more cities and a new phone from Sprint August 30, 2019.